One thing that almost any political or community activism faces at one time or another is burnout. We throw all of our energy, time and devotion into a particular cause (or causes) and, for all the commitment, societal change doesn't occur at the pace we would prefer. At times, it doesn't seem like ANY positive change is occurring at all! It's enough to motivate so many people to throw up their hands in disgust and exclaim, "What's the use?"
What we too often forget -- and I place myself squarely in this category -- is that our involvement in the cause definitely changes at least one person: ourselves!! That makes all the time and devotion meaningful in its own right.
Let me provide one example. Let's say you're an environmental activist whose big issue is recycling. You change the way you operate as a consumer. You look to purchase only those products which are minimally-packaged and/or housed in packaging that can be recycled. You change your living arrangements to set up your own home recycling center in your kitchen (what my wife & I have done) or some other room in the house.
While you may be one of the world's best recyclers, you look out at the world around you and notice that most of your neighbors don't share your zeal. Area trash bins are crammed full of various items that could easily be recycled, if a person took the time to do it!
You also learn from the news that many major corporations don't share your devotion to recycling either. The amount of items they trash each year dwarfs the amount of stuff you might recycle in an entire lifetime. So, you think to yourself, "What's the point? No matter how much I personally recycle, it's nothing more than a tiny drop in the bucket. It's certainly not enough to change the world. Why do I even bother?"
And the reason to bother is that it does indeed change the world -- your world. In the end, that is the world we each have the most control over anyway.
This is the lesson I sometimes forget. I brood and lament the state of the outer world. I stick myself into a rut. I forget that the best way I can impact the external world is by modeling in my [internal] life the kind of society I want to live in. This modeling may or may not impact anyone else, but it impacts me and that, in and of itself, is more than enough.
What we too often forget -- and I place myself squarely in this category -- is that our involvement in the cause definitely changes at least one person: ourselves!! That makes all the time and devotion meaningful in its own right.
Let me provide one example. Let's say you're an environmental activist whose big issue is recycling. You change the way you operate as a consumer. You look to purchase only those products which are minimally-packaged and/or housed in packaging that can be recycled. You change your living arrangements to set up your own home recycling center in your kitchen (what my wife & I have done) or some other room in the house.
While you may be one of the world's best recyclers, you look out at the world around you and notice that most of your neighbors don't share your zeal. Area trash bins are crammed full of various items that could easily be recycled, if a person took the time to do it!
You also learn from the news that many major corporations don't share your devotion to recycling either. The amount of items they trash each year dwarfs the amount of stuff you might recycle in an entire lifetime. So, you think to yourself, "What's the point? No matter how much I personally recycle, it's nothing more than a tiny drop in the bucket. It's certainly not enough to change the world. Why do I even bother?"
And the reason to bother is that it does indeed change the world -- your world. In the end, that is the world we each have the most control over anyway.
This is the lesson I sometimes forget. I brood and lament the state of the outer world. I stick myself into a rut. I forget that the best way I can impact the external world is by modeling in my [internal] life the kind of society I want to live in. This modeling may or may not impact anyone else, but it impacts me and that, in and of itself, is more than enough.
I don't think recycling will become something everyone does until it becomes economically more important than not, or mandated.
ReplyDeleteI recycle cans and bottles because Hawaii instituted the 5 cent return policy. I don't get the money; I take my bottles and cans to the office where someone else takes on the chore of returning them; the cash goes into some sort of communal pot. (Where are the Boy Scouts when you need them? Remember bottle drives?)
But mostly I do this because it gets the crap out of the house and the landfill, while making me feel virtuous, which is not really much of an impact.
There are some neighborhoods here that do city-supported curbside recycling, but most of the stuff goes to the landfill. Or is incinerated for electrical power, with ash going to the landfill.
Just thought you might like to know how our itty bitty island works.
http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/archive/How_our_City_manages_our_waste.html
Excellent point regarding the burnout factor. It is all too easy to lose sight of short term goals when the long term seems never to get any closer.
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